A murdered king, a son sworn to revenge … retold in modern English verse.
The complete Hamlet study guide – every line translated; every rhythm kept; every scene, character and theme explored – for students, teachers, actors, and theatregoers.
Hamlet Overview
Hamlet Deep Dive
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ACT 1
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ACT 1 SCENE 1
The ghost on the battlements of Elsinore
Hamlet Act 1, Scene 1 retold in modern English verse: the night watch sees the dead king's ghost and resolves to tell his son.
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ACT 1 SCENE 2
A hasty wedding and a prince in mourning
Hamlet Act 1, Scene 2 retold in modern English verse: Claudius takes the throne, Hamlet grieves, and Horatio brings news of the ghost.
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ACT 1 SCENE 3
Laertes bids farewell, Ophelia is warned
Hamlet Act 1, Scene 3 in modern English verse: Laertes's farewell and Polonius's advice.
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ACT 1 SCENE 4
The prince follows the ghost into the dark
Hamlet Act 1, Scene 4 in modern English verse: the ghost beckons Hamlet to follow it alone.
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ACT 1 SCENE 5
"Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder"
Hamlet Act 1, Scene 5 in modern English verse: the ghost reveals the murder; Hamlet swears revenge.
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ACT 2
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ACT 2 SCENE 1
Polonius sets his spies to work
Hamlet Act 2, Scene 1 retold in modern English verse: Polonius sends Reynaldo to spy on Laertes, and Ophelia reports Hamlet's frightening visit.
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ACT 2 SCENE 2
The players arrive, and the mousetrap is set
Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2 retold in modern English verse: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern spy, the players arrive, and Hamlet plots his test.
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ACT 3
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ACT 3 SCENE 1
"To be, or not to be" – and the nunnery scene
Hamlet Act 3, Scene 1 retold in modern English verse: the famous soliloquy, then Hamlet's cruel rejection of Ophelia.
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ACT 3 SCENE 2
Claudius prays and Hamlet hesitates
Hamlet Act 3, Scene 3 retold in modern English verse: Claudius confesses in prayer while Hamlet stands behind him, sword drawn.
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ACT 3 SCENE 3
Claudius prays and Hamlet hesitates
Hamlet Act 3, Scene 3 retold in modern English verse: Claudius confesses in prayer while Hamlet stands behind him, sword drawn.
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ACT 3 SCENE 4
Polonius dies behind the arras
Hamlet Act 3, Scene 4 retold in modern English verse: Hamlet confronts Gertrude, kills the hidden Polonius, and sees the Ghost again.
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ACT 4
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ACT 4 SCENE 1
The queen reports a killing
Hamlet Act 4, Scene 1 retold in modern English verse: Gertrude tells Claudius of Polonius's death, and Hamlet's exile is ordered.
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ACT 4 SCENE 2
Hamlet hides the body, and mocks his friends
Hamlet Act 4, Scene 2 retold in modern English verse: Hamlet refuses to give up Polonius's body, taunting the king's sponges.
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ACT 4 SCENE 3
A prince sent to his death in England
Hamlet Act 4, Scene 3 retold in modern English verse: Claudius dispatches Hamlet to England with sealed orders for his execution.
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ACT 4 SCENE 4
An army marches, and Hamlet resolves
Hamlet Act 4, Scene 4 retold in modern English verse: Fortinbras's army shames Hamlet into vowing bloody thoughts at last.
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ACT 4 SCENE 5
Ophelia's madness, and a son returns for vengeance
Hamlet Act 4, Scene 5 retold in modern English verse: Ophelia sings in her grief and Laertes storms the palace for answers.
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ACT 4 SCENE 6
A letter from the sea
Hamlet Act 4, Scene 6 retold in modern English verse: pirates board Hamlet's ship, and a letter tells Horatio he is coming home.
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ACT 4 SCENE 7
The poisoned blade is prepared, and Ophelia drowns
Hamlet Act 4, Scene 7 retold in modern English verse: Claudius and Laertes rig the fencing match as Ophelia's drowning is announced.
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ACT 5
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ACT 5 SCENE 1
"Alas, poor Yorick" – the graveyard scene
Hamlet Act 5, Scene 1 retold in modern English verse: the gravediggers jest, Hamlet holds Yorick's skull, and grief erupts at the grave.
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ACT 5 SCENE 2
The duel, the poison, and the silence that follows
Hamlet Act 5, Scene 2 retold in modern English verse: the duel turns deadly, the court falls, and Fortinbras claims Denmark.
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Tackling Hamlet for The Royal Shakespeare Company is arguably the most daunting role for any actor. For me, learning the words was the easy part; interpreting the nuances of the language and breathing life into the performance was brutally tough.
The Shakespeare Retold series would have helped me immensely. For every line, I'd have had a lyrically identical modern-day translation that I precisely understood, helping reveal the emphasis and punch of each moment of my stage performance. Every actor would benefit from these compelling translations.
Played Hamlet for The Royal Shakespeare Company
Frequently asked questions about Hamlet
What is Hamlet about?
Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest tragedy, written around 1600. It follows Prince Hamlet of Denmark as he discovers that his uncle Claudius has murdered his father, married his mother, and seized the throne. The Ghost of Old Hamlet demands revenge, but Hamlet hesitates — paralysed by grief, religious doubt, and his philosophical nature — for almost the entire play. The story ends in catastrophe, with most of the principal characters dead.
When was Hamlet written?
Hamlet was written between 1599 and 1601, during what is often called Shakespeare's mature tragic period. It was first published in a short pirated quarto (Q1) in 1603, then in a longer authorised quarto (Q2) in 1604, and finally in the First Folio in 1623. The three texts differ substantially, and modern editions are typically conflated from Q2 and the Folio.
What genre is Hamlet?
Hamlet is a revenge tragedy — a popular Elizabethan genre derived from Senecan drama, in which a wronged hero pursues vengeance, usually with catastrophic consequences. Shakespeare both inhabits and questions the genre: where most revenge heroes act, Hamlet hesitates, and the play uses that hesitation to examine moral, philosophical, and theological questions about justice, action, and mortality.
Why is Hamlet considered Shakespeare's greatest play?
Hamlet's reputation rests on its psychological depth, philosophical reach, and linguistic richness. The title character is the most fully interiorised figure in early modern drama — a hero whose conflict is largely internal — and the play's soliloquies ("To be, or not to be", "O, what a rogue and peasant slave", "How all occasions do inform against me") meditate on suffering, mortality, and selfhood with a depth no earlier play had attempted. It has shaped the modern conception of dramatic character ever since.
What level is Hamlet studied at?
Hamlet is a set text on most major English-language curricula, including GCSE and A-Level (UK), AP English Literature (US), the IB Diploma, and undergraduate Shakespeare courses worldwide. Selected scenes and soliloquies are also frequently studied at Key Stage 3 and middle-school level. This study guide is written to support all of these levels, with modern English translation, scene-by-scene analysis, character profiles, theme guides, and key quotes.
What are the most famous lines in Hamlet?
Hamlet contains more famous lines than any other play in English. Among the most quoted: "To be, or not to be? That is the question", "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark", "The lady doth protest too much, methinks", "Frailty, thy name is woman", "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio", and "The rest is silence". Each is analysed in depth on the key quotes page.